Electronic records management can undeniably generate huge benefits for organizations. They make it easier to find records, improve productivity by as much as 30%, and yield cost savings by managing information “as an asset, rather than a liability,” as we have previously described here.
But technology has its own pitfalls. The speed with which records management technology has advanced in recent years is a mixed blessing: organizations can convert to electronic records so much more easily than ever before, but it also means that technology becomes quickly outdated.
Off the top, it’s clear that agencies understand that compliance with the mandate requires a multipronged strategy, and they’re implementing initiatives appropriately. The Department of Energy, for example, cites “multiple efforts including targeted training, outreach, direct support to modernize legacy business processes, and working Department wide with records custodians, owners, and IT service providers.”
But how much of a problem is that? Here’s what happens when technology falls behind.
You can’t keep up with modern needs
In a letter to the Archivist of the United States from earlier this year, a group of prominent citizen archivists and information access activists pointed out that dated technology can sometimes even affect the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) itself. “The Office of Inspector General called NARA’s tools for tracking records transfers “antiquated,” they wrote in their letter. Specifically, the cited the difficulty in determining if records have been successfully transferred to the archives on schedule. This kind of tracking functionality is entirely possible, perhaps even standard in modern solutions, but outdated systems can easily fall behind modern requirements.
You might not be able to access all digital record formats
We talked about this issue in part in another article, “Digital Obsolescence.” There, we discussed the implications of software that creates specific record types going obsolete. We wrote, “You might not be able to open a digital record at all without the original software. Or, you might still have a way to open the record but not with all relevant contextual information.” But there are other dimensions to this question as well. An outdated records management technology might similarly be unable to read newer data and record formats, for example. Ultimately, organizations must remain vigilant that their electronic records remain updated and accessible over time. At a certain point, however, older technology platforms simply won’t be able to meet those needs.
You can’t be sure if records were disposed of properly
When you delete a file, its contents may or may not be completely, irretrievably removed. Digital destruction is different from analog; those files might still be retrievable under some conditions. Although commercial software solutions can help in this process, they may not be able to guarantee the complete erasure of certain files or in certain cases. This is another issue that’s usually resolved by newer technologies designed specifically to handle sensitive records, but older platforms may not offer the necessary functionality.
The answer is to stay current
The issues described above offer only a glimpse of the issues associated with outdated technology. Older systems often can’t handle significant increases in the scale and volume of records, offer inadequate security controls, and may not have sufficient reach (e.g., not cloud-enabled, so remote workers can’t access role-appropriate files). We’ve written more about some of these issues in our article, “7 Red Flags Showing You Need Help with Your ERM.”
Worse, the issue of outdated technology never really goes away. In its Senior Agency Official for Records Management 2020 Annual Report, the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) wrote that “the cycle of development continues to rapidly increase such that new or changed systems and applications occur in cycles of months instead of years which makes it difficult to develop, implement, and adjust policy and processes to meet new capabilities.”
The answer is to look for solutions with which you can stay continuously current. That usually means choosing Web-based ERMs that are updated on an ongoing basis. With such an option, you can trust that your solution will always be ready to meet both current and newly emerging needs. Cloud-based computing answers almost all these challenges and yields additional benefits of its own, such as significant cost savings.
About PSL
PSL is a global outsource provider whose mission is to provide solutions that facilitate the movement of business-critical information between and among government agencies, business enterprises, and their partners. For more information, please visit or email info@penielsolutions.com.